Weiland, a native of Seaforth, Ontario, put up respectable offensive numbers (18 points; 11 goals, seven assists in 42 games) as an NHL rookie in 1928-29, helping the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup for the first time since they entered the NHL in 1924.

But he really took off the following season, when forward-passing rules were modified, leading the NHL in goals (43) and points (73), playing all 44 games. The Bruins went 38-5 with one tie in 1929-30, finishing with the NHL's best record and setting a League mark with a 14-game winning streak; however, their bid for a second straight Stanley Cup ended when they were swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the best-of-3 Final.

A slick center, Weiland played in the middle of the "Dynamite Line" with Dit Clapper and Dutch Gainor until he was traded to the struggling Ottawa Senators on July 25, 1932. He led Ottawa in scoring (27 points; 16 goals, 11 assists in 48 games) during his one full season with the Senators in 1932-33 and scored two goals in the first eight games of the 1933-34 season before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 26, 1933.

The Red Wings placed Weiland at center between talented forward Larry Aurie and Herbie Lewis, and Detroit advanced to the 1934 Stanley Cup Final but lost to the Chicago Black Hawks. He played one more season with Detroit before being traded back to the Bruins on July 11, 1935.

Weiland wasn't the offensive force he'd been in his first stint with the Bruins, but became an effective checker and penalty-killer with the "Kraut Line" of Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart carrying more of the scoring load. He helped the Bruins win the Cup for the second time in 1939 before retiring with 335 points (173 goals, 162 assists) in 509 NHL games, as well as 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 45 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

But Weiland's time with the Bruins wasn't over. He was named coach for the 1939-40 season and led Boston to a first-place finish, though they were upset in the playoffs. The Bruins repeated as regular-season champion in 1940-41 and this time won the Cup -- its last until 1970.

He later coached in the American Hockey League before taking over at Harvard in 1950 and remaining for 21 seasons. Weiland's teams went 315-173 with 17 ties and reached the NCAA Frozen Four six times, including 1970-71, his final season at Harvard. Four players coached by Weiland were part of the U.S. team that won gold at the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics.

Weiland was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1971; one year later, he received the Lester Patrick Trophy for his service to hockey in the United States.

He died at age 80 on July 3, 1975.